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Saturday, 8 August 2015

Review ~ Salvage (The Salvage Duet #1) by Tiffany Aleman

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars***ARC received for an honest review***

“I’m not God baby. I’m the devil. I want to play and corrupt and worship you in the most sinful of ways.”

This is the first book of a duet by Tiffany Aleman and all I can say is what a start. To say that I loved this book would be an understatement, I loved it hard!! This book was real, it wasn’t always pretty but it had so many messages littered throughout. This book was full of hope and forgiveness and even if you are in the direst of circumstances you always have friends to help you, pick you up and be that rock that you desperately need.

This book touches on some tough subjects mainly bullying and alcoholism. Having been bullied for most of my school life and having an alcoholic parent for quite a while I could relate to so much in this book, maybe that is why it really pulled at my heart strings, but for me personally this hit home and I found myself in tears so many times.

“You were like a cancer that wouldn’t go away.”

Bullying is a term often bandied about at the drop of at hat, but once you have been a victim of bullying you really understand its true meaning and Karmen’s life really mirrored my own in some respects. While I was bullied by all girls, Karmen had boys and girls against her and they truly made her life hell, to the point that she had on several occasions thought of ending her life. They were mean and cruel and totally humiliated her on so many occasions, but Karmen was strong, she battled through and made it out relatively unscathed. Karmen was an easy target, she was poor, her clothes didn’t fit, she wore flip flops in winter and all because her parents were addicts in one form or another.

Underneath those ill fitting clothes and ill fitting shoes was a beautiful girl on the inside and out, her resilience was astounding. She walked with her eyes to the ground and tried to keep out of their way but these kids were relentless. If only they took their time to see the person underneath.

Brayden was one of the said bullies, but in his defence he was a little different from the others. He watched rather than participated to save face, to stay in with his friends. Brayden was Mr Popular, he was destined for the NHL, was born into wealth and privilege but his home life was far from perfect. He had a Dad that belittled him at every turn and who was quite fond of using his fists too. His mother was always at the end of a bottle of wine and did very little parenting. He was alone too, in more ways than one.

“I’m a man tainted by my own vices. Vices that run so deep, I’m not sure I’ll ever be free.”

This happened years ago, now, Karmen runs a radio station, imagine her surprise when Brayden comes in looking for a job. A serious injury has finished his NHL career and after a year destroying his life, he now has his tail between his legs. He is just as surprised as she is, but can these two really put the past behind them?

Old feelings come to a head and out into the open, but the past can never be forgotten, but is forgiveness a possibility?

This book was extremely emotional in places. Something as innocuous as alcohol can have such devastating repercussions if it is abused and being on the wrong end of that is not pretty. Tiffany Aleman captured this perfectly and it did bring back some awful memories but this also meant that I could empathise and sympathise with these characters so much. It always went a long ways to show how parenting can really affect a child forward. Whether it be their self worth or emotional hang ups, both can be devastating in their own right, forever impacting their children’s relationships going forward.

“Dreams don’t come true if you don’t chase after them.”

These two have a lot to work through, forgiveness may be given but the person receiving needs to accept it and sometimes the damage is irrevocable. I can’t wait for the next instalment. I love these two with a passion and even though their beginning was so awful, I can seriously see them being so right for each other. Maybe destiny had a sick way of bringing them together but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and these two were emotionally and physically perfect for each other.

“You are a survivor of your past and a fighter for your future.”

For an emotional read, this is perfect. It has everything, friendship, love, angst, hate and a great dose of wit. You will be laughing one minute and crying the next but at the end you know that you have read an amazing book. This is by far Tiffany Aleman’s best book to date and as I said, I cannot wait for the finale.

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